Spike, a 23-year-old Chihuahua mix from Ohio, was named world’s oldest living dog by the Guinness World Records (GWR). As of Dec. 7, 2022 Spike was 23 years and 7 days old, approximately 9 inches tall, and weighed 12.9 pounds.
Spike was adopted over 13 years ago by Rita Kimball, when she found him in a grocery store parking lot in Camden, Ohio. He was believed to be 10 at the time. After her family left the store and entered the parking lot, Kimball told GWR that Spike followed them. Unsure of who he belonged to, she decided to take him home to her small farm.
“He is friendly but since he’s almost blind and hard of hearing, he gets testy at times and just wants to be left alone,” she said, the GWR reported.
Kimball attributes Spike’s long life to a good routine, healthy diet, plenty of space, exercise, and infinite love and attention.
Spikes’s name is from the Tom and Jerry cartoon dog known for its large size and aggressiveness. Kimball said despite her Spike being small and friendly, he does have the attitude of a large dog, saying he only acts like a stereotypical Chihuahua when petted by a stranger.
Spike starts his day between 7:00 and 7:30 a.m. He spends some time visiting the animals in the barn before going back to the house for a nap in preparation for the day.
“There’s always something to do on a farm,” Kimball told GWR, “we cut wood, clean out fence rows, bale hay, and harvest crops.” Spike likes to end a long work week with a bath on Saturday evening. His favourite hobbies include napping, playing with the house cat, and hiding his toy fox around the house.
Kimball contacted Guinness World Records after seeing the previous oldest living dog, Pebbles, on an episode of Jimmy Fallon and realizing Spike was older. Pebbles died in October 2022 at 22 years of age.
“Most of our family knew that Spike was old but didn’t know he had a shot at being the oldest in the world,” Kimball said. “Now that he is a record holder, they see him as a celebrity.”
